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Close-Up: Barron

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Close-Up

In this WoSJ Close-Up the focus is on Lucy Davis' main man Barron, who has won no less than three five-star Grand Prix competitions this year with the young American rider in the saddle. All photos (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.

It has been a fantastic year for this duo; first they started off the year with a win in the 2* World Cup at Thermal, then they won the 5* Longines Grand Prix in Rotterdam in June, they won the 5* Rolex Grand Prix in Brussels in September before they took the win in the 5* Sunshine Grand Prix at Thermal in November. The pair was also on the winning US team in the CSIO5* Nations Cup in Mannheim.

Barron was born on the 18th of April in 2004, Belgian bred by Marc Devos. His father is For Pleasure and he is out of the Nabab de Reve-mare Vita van het Riethof.

Barron's birth name was Underground des Hauts Droits, but it was changed when Lucy bough him. The 11-year-old gelding was, after a family vote during Christmas Day 2012, named after Lucy's grandfather whose middle name is Barron.

“Finding Barron, that was like finding a huge pot of gold,” Lucy said to World of Showjumping earlier this year about her top horse.

“Barron is always brave,” Lucy said of one of her top horse’s main qualities. “But he is also very sensitive - different environments can kick off different sides of him. He is not a big fan of music, loud clapping and prize givings. If I am stressed or tense, he feels it straight away - so I have to stay calm for him."

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Image Description

Barron came to Lucy when he was 8-years-old. The following year, in 2013 they had their clicking moment and went on to be double clear in the CSIO5* Nations Cup in Rotterdam where the US team won. Later the same year the two went to the top in the CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Lausanne.

In 2014 the two were on the American 2nd placed Nations Cup team in Aachen, and went on to be selected for the US team for the World Championships in Normandy where they won team bronze.

"At home he is one day lazy and the next day a fire dragon, he changes quickly and is quite spirited,” Lucy told World of Showjumping earlier this year.

On his qualities in the ring, Lucy has described Barron as 'super fast and careful'.

In 2014, Barron was crowned Horse of the Year by his own studbook sBs.